


If At First You Don't Succeed, Just Remember Cairo

by TinkerBella



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 11:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10639410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinkerBella/pseuds/TinkerBella
Summary: So this is an INSERT and INSERT and a teeny tiny TAG to Cigar Cutter, the MacGyver Season Finale.  Which I loved in so many ways, but I'm so sad it's over until Sept.  I for see a MacGyver marathon in my very near future, along with a lot more fics being written.  That said, there's a bit of Mac Whump, Bromance and Mac helping Riley and dealing with what happened to Bozer.





	

After Matty ordered them to get checked out in Medical, Jack found himself having to guide MacGyver in the right direction. The kid kept trying to go the wrong way. 

 

Pushing Mac into a stairwell, Jack made him stop and focus on him. "We both know you know the route to Medical with your eyes closed, so what's going on, brother?"

 

"Nothing," Mac replied, even as he leaned back against the nearest wall and slid down so that he was sitting with his knees up, head back, eyes closed and the virus container clutched tight in both hands. All he wanted to do right now was enjoy a moment of silence. 

 

"Now you're scaring me kid," Jack stated, crouching down beside Mac. "Do I need to call for someone?"

 

Mac sighed softly, one hand lifting to scrub through his hair. Not a smart idea because his head ached, as did pretty much ever muscle in his body, but it was pretty much the usual issues and nothing to worry about. "I'm fine, Jack. I just need a minute. Go ahead to Medical, I'll be there soon."

 

Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure you will, bud. You forget I know you, Mac. You'll stop by Medical just long enough to charm Dr. Breen into signing off on your exam. She's crushing on you hard, bro."

 

"I..." Mac broke off, carefully shaking his head. "I don't even know how to reply to that," he confessed. Jack wasn't exactly wrong about his intentions, but he was totally wrong about Dr. Breen having a crush on him.

 

"You can't deny the truth," Jack shot back, moving to sit beside him and groaning a bit as every sore muscle and bruise made itself felt. He knew that Mac was feeling the same. The kid could more than hold his own in a fight, but he lacked the body mass to absorb the blows he took, and he wasn't wearing tack gear, which was basically body armor. So Jack was worried about him. 

 

Mac exhaled a sigh. He knew Jack meant well and he appreciated his friend's concern, but right now he just wanted a moment to decompress. Still, he knew Jack wouldn't go away until he gave him a something. "You were right," Mac said softly.

 

Jack snorted. "Of course I was. Uh...but about what, exactly?"

 

"Cairo day." Mac knew Jack would get it. "Next year we're calling in sick or disappearing or, whatever, on that day."

 

"Amen, brother," Jack concurred. "But that's 364 days away, I'm more worried about what's happening right now. Be straight with me, bro. What's going on in that ginormous brain of yours?"

 

Realizing that Jack was going to beat a dead horse until he got what he wanted, Mac decided to give in and tell him. "Three strikes and I'm out," he stated.

 

Jack frowned at Mac, unable to hide his confusion. "Out of what?"

 

"I'm the world's worst best friend," Mac clarified. "First Bozer almost died because of Murdoc, then he almost lost everything that matters to him because we got disavowed, then he almost died again today. Three strikes, Jack. I can't do this anymore."

 

"Whoa...back it up, bud," Jack countered, shifting so that he was facing Mac. He didn't like how pale the kid looked, or the way the normally bright blue eyes looked dull and dark with defeat. "What happened to Bozer was not your fault, so don't even go down that road."

 

Mac winced at how untrue Jack's words were. "Murdoc came into my house and nearly killed Bozer because of what I do, Jack! Because of me. Everything that's happened since is on me!" Feeling angry and frustrated, Mac pushed to his feet, hissing at the pain that rippled through his body but, ultimately, ignoring it. He needed to walk away for a bit, to lick his wounds in private.

 

Knowing exactly what Mac was thinking and feeling, Jack got up to block him. No way was he going to let the kid go off and wallow in undeserved misery. "Hold up, Mac," he stated, gripping his friend by the arm and halting his escape. Jack could feel the tension in the lean body, because the kid was nearly vibrating with it. "I know I'm not going to be able to change the way you feel right now, because you're too angry and exhausted to listen to what I say and you're not in the frame of mind to accept the truth. But you need to give yourself a break, Mac. Do you hear me? What you did today is to save lives. You saved Bozer's life. That's what you need to focus on."

 

"Easier said than done," Mac mumbled, trying to tug his arm free of Jack's iron grip. 

 

"When did you ever like easy?" Jack teased, but with the truth. The kid was all about the challenge in all things. Still holding tight to Mac's arm, Jack guided him down the stairs and back on route to Medical. 

 

MacGyver knew what Jack was doing, but he went along with it. At this point he was too tired to argue and there was still too much left to be done to clean up the mess. So he let Dr. Breen examine him, totally missing out on the fact that she was flirting with him. He pretty much zoned out, not hearing anything she said about his condition and also noticing that Jack had come into the exam room and was taking in everything Dr. Breen was saying.

 

It was Jack who responded to her. "I promise to take Mac home and make him get some rest."

 

Which was about the time Mac tuned back in. "I'm not going home," he protested, as he slid down from the exam table. "I'm fine." He had a moment of panic when he didn't spot the cylinder containing the virus, exhaling in relief when Jack handed it over to him.

 

"I guess you missed the part where Dr. Breen said you have a mild concussion and bruised ribs?" Jack queried, as he followed Mac out of medical.

 

"I have bumps and bruises," Mac countered as he headed for the nearest elevator. Once inside he remembered to ask, "Are you okay, Jack?"

 

Patting his chest and preening a little, Jack replied, "Never better, Bro. But I'm not gonna lie to you, you are looking rough around the edges. You need to go home and rest. I already texted Matty and told her I'm going to drive you home and she told me to keep an eye on you."

 

Mac scowled. "First off, I do not need a babysitter. Second...I'm not going home so it's a moot point." The elevator doors opened and Mac was about to step out but he froze as Matty was revealed.

 

"Bosses orders," she stated, shaking a finger at him. "You are to go and check up on Bozer, which I know you want to do, then Jack will take you home so you can get some sleep." When Mac opened his mouth to argue, she shook her head at him. "Like I said before, MacGyver, you did good work today. More than your fair share. Now get out of here."

 

"I'm taking this with me," Mac said, holding up the cylinder. "I won't let it fall into enemy hands again."

 

Matty was fine with it. "I trust you do dispose of it properly, Mac." She looked at Jack. "Now get him out of here. I don't want to see either of you for at least the next seventy-two hours."

 

Jack saluted. "Will do, boss." That said, he nudged Mac into the elevator. Before the doors were even closed, the kid was on his phone, scrolling. "What are you doing?" Jack asked, as he punched the first floor button.

 

"I'm booking a flight to Siberia," Mac replied, without looking up from his phone. 

 

"Book two seats," Jack said, without hesitation, knowing that the kid was going to take the virus back where it belonged and he was all for it.

 

Smiling to himself, Mac did as he was told. He would accept Jack's company on the journey, but he would walk the last mile on his own.

 

\- - - - - - - -

 

After dropping the cylinder with the virus into a, miles deep, crevice in the middle of nowhere in Siberia, Mac returned home with Jack. At which point they parted ways, Jack checking in with Matty and Mac going to the hospital to visit Bozer.

 

He had kept in touch with Riley, getting updates on his best friend's condition. But it was still a bit of a shock to see Bozer lying to still and quiet in the ICU hospital bed.

 

"How is he?" Mac asked, as he moved to set a vase of flowers, made entirely of duct tape, on the table by the window.

 

"Doing better day by day," Riley replied, moving to check out the flowers. She shook her head in amazement. "How do you do that?"

 

Mac shrugged. "I get bored."

 

Riley could imagine that he would, given how his brain always seemed to be going a mile a minute. "So you and Jack disposed of the virus?"

 

"Yeah. No one will ever get their hands on it again," Mac confirmed. He moved to Bozer's bedside, staring down at his friend. "Has he woken up at all?"

 

"He opens his eyes and mumbles some gibberish here and there," Riley allowed. "The doctor is keeping him pretty heavily sedated, he said it's the best thing for him to be still and rest."

 

Mac nodded. "Yeah, you need to let your body focus on replenishing your blood loss and that takes some time."

 

Riley eyed him with interest. "You talk as if you've had experience in that regard."

 

"I've been stabbed, twice," Mac admitted. "It's not fun."

 

"I think I'm gonna pass on trying it," Riley allowed. "Oh, if you get a chance, Dr. Waters really wants to talk to you about the way you sealed Bozer's wound. He's equal parts fascinated and awed."

 

Mac grimaced. "It's no big deal, it's just simple science and the Army is working on a more effective version," he rambled, catching himself when he realized Riley was grinning at him.

 

She patted him on the arm. "I know you do amazing things on a daily basis, Mac, but it's okay to let other people be amazed and for you to bask in their awe."

 

"I'll work on that." Mac took a moment to really look at Riley, seeing how pale and tired she was. "Are you getting any sleep?" He knew she'd spent the past three days camping out in Bozer's room, and he was glad that she was here watching over their friend. Mac didn't want Bozer to be alone and they weren't able to tell his parents about what happened. That was the down side of their line of work. 

 

"I doze off and on," Riley allowed, not wanting Mac to look too close. To be fair, she could call him on the same thing. Her exhausted was mirrored on his face.

 

Mac gestured for Riley to join him in the hallway, just outside the doorway so they could still keep an eye on their sleeping friend. "Nightmares getting to you?" he guessed.

 

Riley wasn't surprised that Mac knew. "I hope they don't last long."

 

"I'm afraid it never quite goes away," Mac replied. "Even when you think you've gotten through the rough patch, something happens that sets them off again...and again."

 

"So...the first time you killed someone, you shot them?" Riley asked because she knew of Mac's aversion to guns and she wondered if that's where it came from.

 

Leaning against the wall, Mac shook his head. "I've never shot anyone and, before you ask, sometime if you catch me when I've had too much to drink, ask me about my aversion to guns. That's when I told Jack, and he's the only one who knows."

 

Riley had the feeling the odds weren't in her favor for ever learning the truth. "I've never seen you drunk," she pointed out. 

 

"It has happened once or twice," Mac allowed, then he waited for Riley to ask her next question. It wasn't the one he thought it would be.

 

"Since you were in the Army, didn't you have to learn to fire a weapon?" Riley queried.

 

Mac nodded. "I had to qualify and I'm actually a pretty good shot, but I wasn't going to be a regular soldier and I told them upfront that I would never carry or shoot a gun. So they bent the rules."

 

Riley wasn't surprised. "Given your skills, I'm sure they were willing to bend a lot of rules."

 

"On occasion," Mac conceded, before falling silent again. He would wait Riley out if necessary, but he didn't have long to wait for long.

 

"So...what happened the first time you killed someone?" Riley blurted out. She had skirted around the question long enough, and she found herself needing to know. Jack was a soldier and she understood that killing the enemy was different for him, but Mac was the one person who might just understand what she was going through right now. 

 

Mac pushed away from the wall peeked back in on Bozer before leading Riley over to the tiny waiting room just a few feet away. When they were both seated, he began. "It happened on my first mission working with Jack and his Delta Force team in Afghanistan. There was a tiny little village and the Taliban had placed a bomb dead center, and they had one of their soldiers watching it. Should have been easy to go in and disarm it, but it was a trap and about two dozen Taliban soldiers started firing on us. Jack told me to stay behind until it was clear, but the village was filled with women and children and I couldn't risk the bomb going off. So while Jack was preoccupied with fighting the bad guys, I went in, tackled the guy guarding the bomb and kicked his gun out of reach."

 

Riley found herself caught up in the story, easily seeing it play out in her head. "I'm guessing it wasn't smooth sailing at that point?"

 

"Not even a little," Mac replied. "He was twice my size, because they always seem to be twice my size, and got me in a choke hold. But he had a knife in his belt and I grabbed it before doing this twisty move that Jack taught me and I stabbed him in the gut, I didn't even hesitate. But it didn't even slow him down, he swatted me off him like I was a fly." Mac closed his eyes as the memory washed over him. "I still had the knife in my hand so I stabbed him again and I watched as he fell to his knees then died. It felt very surreal. I remember running over to the bomb only my hands were covered in blood, so I wiped them off on the dead guy's shirt, then I calmly went back to the bomb and disarmed it. Next thing I knew Jack found me sitting by the body."

 

"Did he have any words of wisdom for you?" Riley prompted.

 

Mac shrugged. "He patted me on the back and told me I did good and I...I punched him." 

 

Riley hadn't seen that coming. "You punched him?" she echoed. "Why?"

 

"I wasn't exactly thinking straight," Mac replied. "I thought he was saying I did good killing the guy."

 

"Oh." Riley could see how that might make Mac feel punchy. "He was telling you, you did good disarming the bomb."

 

Rising from the chair, Mac paced over to the window, feeling like the shadows of those memories were drifting over his skin like cold fingers. "Yeah. On the ride back to camp he yelled at me for disobeying his order to stay put. Said it could have been me lying there dead, but that I made the right call. However, if I ever disobeyed him again...he was going to whup my ass but good."

 

Riley laughed at the image. "You never listen to Jack."

 

"I listen, I'm just selective about it," Mac countered. "Here's the weird thing. The nightmares didn't start for me until about three days later. I just went back to doing my job like nothing had happened. No big deal. It wasn't until months later that I realized it took so long to hit me because I was going through the motions without feeling anything. I was numb. But once the numbness wore off, the nightmares hit me like a locomotive."

 

"What did you do to deal with them?" Riley really hoped Mac had some secret he could share to make it easier.

 

Sitting back down again, Mac reached out and clasped Riley's cold hands. "I would get up and tinker with things. If there was something that needed to be fixed, I fixed it. If not then I would take something apart only to put it back together. When that didn't work I'd talk to Jack, he's a good listener and he knows when to offer a distraction."

 

Riley found herself smiling at Mac's words. "Yeah, I remember he was pretty good at doing that when I was a kid. Anything else that might help?"

 

"Well, when I was stateside I would run." Mac rose to his feet, bringing Riley with him. Arm in arm they made their way back to Bozer's room. "Whatever you need to get you through this, don't be afraid to ask. We're all here for you."

 

"Thanks, Mac." Riley drew him into a hug, because she felt as if he needed it as much as she did. Drawing back, she slipped back into the chair next to the bed. Bozer was still sound asleep. "You going to stay for a while?"

 

Mac wished he could. "I told Matty I'd check in. Call me when he wakes up and I'll stop back over."

 

Riley nodded. "You got it. Hey, Mac..." she called him back before he reached the door.

 

"Yeah?" Mac walked back over.

 

"Can I tell you something?" Riley was nervous but she felt as if Mac would understand.

 

He nodded. "Of course, you can tell me anything."

 

Exhaling a shaky breath, Riley couldn't look at Mac as she blurted out, "I don't regret it. Shooting that guy. I thought I would but...I don't, and I'm not sure what that says about me."

 

"It says that you understand that you didn't have a choice, Riley," Mac stated, firmly. "He would have killed you and you defended yourself. It's that complicated and that simple."

 

"I guess it is." Riley realized that what Mac said made perfect sense. Kill or be killed, Jack would say, and Riley was glad she was still alive. She would do it again if she had too. "Thanks."

 

Mac smiled, knowing that Riley was going to be okay. "You're welcome." This time he made it out the door and he found himself feeling a little bit lighter.

 

\- - - - - - - - 

 

Later that night, Mac made his way back to the hospital, slipping into Bozer's room at the tail end of visiting hours. He was thrilled to see that his friend was finally awake and looking better than he had in a while. "Hey, Bozer," Mac offered in greeting.

 

"Mac." Bozer lit up at the sight of his friend. 

 

"How do you feel?" Mac asked, as he took up residence in Riley's chair. She had run home to shower and catch a, much needed, nap.

 

Bozer considered the question. "Better than I expected, although I don't recommend being stabbed. It seriously sucks." When Mac didn't say anything, just stared at him, Bozer winced. "You've been stabbed before. How did I not know this?"

 

Mac winced before confessing, "Remember when I told you I had appendicitis?" At Bozer's nod he continued. "That was the first time."

 

"First time?" Bozer yelped in pain and made himself calm down, especially when Mac turned pale and looked ready to call for help. "I'm okay...I'm fine, Mac. And, forget it, I don't want to know about the second time."

 

"Probably a good idea." Mac was on his feet and hovering. "Are you sure you don't want me to call the nurse?" He hated seeing his friend in pain.

 

Bozer patted Mac on the arm. "I'm fine, really. Sit down before you fall down. You look worse than I feel."

 

Mac was offended. "I do not!" he protested.

 

"You do," Bozer insisted. "When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

 

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Mac replied, quoting the Bon Jovi song that Bozer used to sing when they were kids. It got a chuckle and worked to distract his friend, just like Mac had been hoping for.

 

Bozer let himself be distracted, he knew Mac hated being fussed over. "So how are things going at the Foundation?"

 

Mac was happy to talk about it. "Slow but steady. Matty has several crews working on the rebuild and she's not even mad at me for blowing up half the building."

 

"You did it for a good cause," Bozer pointed out. "Speaking of which, I don't think I ever really thanked you for saving my life. And you have got to talk to my doctor about that sealing thing you did. He's totally fan-boying over you."

 

"Pass," Mac countered. "Besides which, I won't be here. Since it'll be a few weeks before the Foundation is back in working order, I'm taking my time off to go search for my Dad."

 

That statement shocked Bozer into silence, but only for a moment. "What brought that on?" He knew how devastated Mac had been when his father walked out on him when he was ten. There had been times when Bozer had wanted to beat the crap out of the man for hurting his friend, so he had mixed feelings about Mac going off to find him. 

 

Dropping back into the chair, MacGyver shrugged. "With everything that's been happening in the past eight months and all the hints Jack's been dropping about making the effort to forgive him...I figured maybe it was time to reach out." He didn't bring up the real reason, he hadn't said anything to Jack either about the fact that both Murdoc and his cell mate lackey had mentioned Mac's dad. Stating that he was Mac's weakness. So now he needed to know if his Dad was all right or if he had somehow been dragged into the war with the Organization. Mac had his issues with his Father, but he didn't want the man to be hurt, especially not because of him. Too many people he cared about had already been hurt.

 

"Makes sense, so I wish you luck," Bozer offered. "When do you leave?"

 

"In the morning." Rising to his feet, Mac leaned in to give Bozer a careful hug. "I'll keep in touch and keep you updated. You get better."

 

Bozer grinned, only for it to be broken by a yawn. All he did was sleep, but he still felt tired. "I can handle that," he drawled. "Be safe, Mac."

 

Offering a salute, Mac replied, "I can do that. Goodnight, Bozer, sweet dreams."

 

"Night, Mac." With that Bozer closed his eyes and started drifting off again.

 

Pausing to draw the blankets up and smooth them out, Mac smiled sadly at his friend. "I'm sorry you got hurt, Bozer," he whispered.

 

Bozer stirred and unglued his eyelids to stare up at his friend as he mumbled, "Not yer fault, Mac. Kay?"

 

"Okay," Mac replied, obediently, before tiptoeing out of the room. At least he knew Matty and Riley would keep an eye on Bozer, so he would be safe. 

 

\- - - - - - 

 

Whistling a happy tune, because he had won over 500 dollars at Black Jack, Jack used his key card to enter the suite he had insisted he and Mac get. They were only in Vegas for one night so Jack had wanted to do it right. As it was, Mac had deserted him after only an hour on the floor. The kid refused to play Black Jack, stating that it was far too tempting for him to count cards, so he had played Roulette until he banked over 5000 dollars. At which point he had excused himself to go back to the room.

 

Jack had stayed another four hours, but now he was ready to sleep since they would be hitting the road at ten in the morning.

 

"Please to cease whistling, Mr. Dalton," Mr. Robo requested, the moment Jack walked into the room.

 

"What have you got against whistling?" Jack countered as he closed the door. He would cop to feeling a bit offended by the request.

 

Mr. Robo, as Jack had taken to calling him, replied, "Mr. MacGyver is sleeping."

 

Which wasn't what Jack expected, but he was thrilled. The kid had been running on fumes. Moving quietly, Jack entered the living area to find Mac curled up and sound asleep on the giant couch. Grinning, he covered him with the blanket from the back of the couch and turned off the lights before heading into his room.

 

A quick shower later, Jack slid into bed and closed his eyes. They had quite the journey ahead of them and Jack hoped that it went smoothly along the way. He also hoped that Mac would find what he was looking for, but no matter what happened, Jack would be there. Whether it was to offer moral support or to catch Mac if he ended up taking a fall. 

 

Once upon a time Jack had dreamed about having a family, which he'd thought meant marriage and kids and the house with the white picket fence. It had taken him a while to accept it, but now he knew his life would never be normal. No matter, because he already had the perfect family. 

 

And woe to anyone who tried to hurt his family because he would kick their ass, Jack Dalton Style. That decided, before letting himself drift off, Jack reached for his phone to punch in a memo to self. Put in for him and Mac to take Cairo Day off in advance.

 

THE END


End file.
